Author(s)

Date Approved

Embargo Period

Document Type

Degree Name

Department

Psychology

College

College of Science & Mathematics

First Advisor

Yurak, Tricia

Subject(s)

Children of divorced parents--New Jersey; College students--New Jersey--Psychology

Disciplines

Psychology

Abstract

The goals of the current study were to (a) determine if differences exist in social support sought by college students from divorced vs. intact families and (b) to determine if the nature of the stressor is also related to students seeking support from either parent. Fifty-five students were recruited from Psychology courses at Rowan University and were given a modified version of the Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ) and the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). They were also given a demographics sheet to complete. A one-way Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and a univariate test revealed significant differences in the SSQ-A/father ratings for participants whose parents were married vs. divorced. A separate MANOVA and univariate test revealed significant differences in the PBIDAD C ratings for participants whose parents were married vs. divorced. These findings suggest that individuals' preferences in seeking support regarding academic issues from their married fathers may be related to their higher level of bonding with their fathers under the care dimension.